The Ridge Meadows Flames won the silver medal at the Mowat Cup, losing to the Revelstoke Grizzlies 3-2 in overtime on April 21 in Kimberley.
“I’m so proud of the team,” said GM Derek Bedard, noting they had to battle through adversity to even make the final.
They lost two of their top scorers in the opening games. First, they lost Zack Lagrange in the tournament opener, as he suffered a severe collarbone break that will require surgery. Then in the second game, the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s premier sniper Theo Kochon “blew out his knee,” while driving the net.
Those players represent two-thirds of the Flames top line, and in 15 playoff games en route to the Stonehouse Cup PJHL championship they put up 12 and 13 goals, respectively, in 15 games, making them the two top goal-getters on the team. Bedard said his team didn’t use their loss as an excuse.
“The guys banded together and fought their way to the final, and pushed it to overtime,” said Bedard. “Our guys responded like champions.”
They were up against a tough opponent in the Grizzlies – an organization that has won the tournament in three of the past four years.
The Flames started the tournament on April 18 with a 7-0 shutout win over the host Kimberley Dynamiters, then played three more games over the next three days.
They lost to the Grizzlies 2-1 in their second round-robin game, then beat Saanich 5-2 to get into the gold medal match.
While there was emotion after the final game loss, Bedard said it was a season they will remember.
“To win the Stonehouse Cup, and play in that championship tournament, is an unbelievable experience for our group,” he said.
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“They’re a special group of athletes – what an amazing team.”
Coach Brent Hughes reflected on the season on the bus ride home from Kimberly.
“What a season, looking back and thinking about what we accomplished,” he said.
He said a healthy Flames roster could have won the championship.
“We did the best we could, being down a couple of key players,” said Hughes. “We gave it all we had, and I’m proud of our guys.”
He said the injuries were bad luck, and not the result of dirty play.
Hughes is planning to return to coach for another season.
“I love the organization,” he said. “And I think next year we’ll have just as good a team.”
He expects a lot of returning players, and more talented prospects who will try to crack the roster.
“Having a winning team the last three years, we’ve got a lot of players who want to play here,” he said.
Nolan Bowsher was the Flames’ leading scorer in the series, with a goal and six points in four games. Jack Foster had three goals and five points, and was the first star of the final game.
Bedard said the Mowat Cup tournament, which is the provincial championship for Junior A, Tier Two hockey, was a first-class event hosted by the Dynamiters and an army of volunteers from the community of Kimberley.
“We’re all going to walk away with great memories.”
The team will get together for a team awards night, and for the presentation of their Stonehouse Cup rings.
Bedard is planning exit interviews with the players. Then, in about five weeks, he’ll start recruiting players again for the 2024-2025 season.
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